The Siren Board

I've been a siren enthusiast for years, but I wasn't aware that there were actually Thunderbolt 1000T's made with only 4 and 5 ports. I heard something that sounded like that when I was a kid, but I thought that maybe, they put a weird chopper in that particular Thunderbolt. The other day, I was browsing this site, and I found out that there were actually 1000T's made by FS that only had 4 and 5 ports. I had always heard in the past that they all had 5 and 6 ports. Are these 4 and 5 port 1000T's rare, and does anyone have an audio or video clip of one of these? I don't hear the one I used to hear any more, because it was replaced with a newer siren.

Yes, I have a recording of one from a siren contest a few years ago.

ver tum wrote:I've been a siren enthusiast for years, but I wasn't aware that there were actually Thunderbolt 1000T's made with only 4 and 5 ports. I heard something that sounded like that when I was a kid, but I thought that maybe, they put a weird chopper in that particular Thunderbolt. The other day, I was browsing this site, and I found out that there were actually 1000T's made by FS that only had 4 and 5 ports. I had always heard in the past that they all had 5 and 6 ports. Are these 4 and 5 port 1000T's rare, and does anyone have an audio or video clip of one of these? I don't hear the one I used to hear any more, because it was replaced with a newer siren.

I've always wondered what the ratio of 4/5 and 5/6 is. 4/5 produces a major third. 5/6 produces a minor third. I like the minor third better.

Here is one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTDejiSwmSI


Its basically a rotor of a model 2T dropped inside the siren. Why Federal did this, nobody knows.

Well what the one in this clip? Is it a 5/6?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo_gRCTScvs

and this one?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYeql9xE19k

Just kind of curious, what is easiest way to distinguish between the two through sound alone?

they are both 5/6 just set on a different speed setting

I changed a Single tone Bolt into a dual tone 4/5 just have to swap the chopper out but could not use the same armature Some 2T armatures are different (Have 4 brushes.) than TB armatures. (have 2 brushes)

I have a 2T that has 4 brushes in it.

JasonC wrote:Here is one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTDejiSwmSI


Its basically a rotor of a model 2T dropped inside the siren. Why Federal did this, nobody knows.

Thanks for the recording Jason. Those 4/5 port TBolts must be extremely rare, but there used to be one about 3 or 4 miles from where I was living at the time. I believe that siren was replaced with an ASC Alertronic, but I'm not sure. The siren you linked me to has the same problem as all of our sirens do. The blower doesn't stay on for much of the winddown. Our sirens used to sound right, but now, the blowers all turn off almost as soon as the choppers start to wind down. I tried to tell Emergency Management, but they acted like I didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

ver tum wrote:...The siren you linked me to has the same problem as all of our sirens do. The blower doesn't stay on for much of the winddown. Our sirens used to sound right, but now, the blowers all turn off almost as soon as the choppers start to wind down. I tried to tell Emergency Management, but they acted like I didn't have a clue what I was talking about.

That bothers me, too. They couldn't allow some extra seconds for the rotor to coast down?
Those last few seconds at low speed are the most fascinating sound of all.
Bet the pulses would feel great if anyone were near.

If I could ever acquire a Thunderbolt, I would run the rotor at very low speed to feel the pulses. Wonder if they'd break windows?
Maybe THAT is why they shut off the blower early.

Does anyone have a picture of the 4/5 chopper, and if so, I would be interested to see it? In addition, I wonder what a 1003 with the 4/5 rotor would sound like in high-low mode.